Eli Lilly's weakening pill has similar effects to Ozepic; The company's shares increase by 16%
Eli Lilly, Credit Line: Nikos Pekiaridis / Nurphoto / Shutte / Shutterstock Editorial / Profimedia
The experimental pill developed by Eli Lilly, called orphypron, has demonstrated effects comparable to those of OZEMPIC injectable drug in reducing body weight and blood sugar among patients with type 2 diabetes, according to a phase 3 clinical study, reports Reuters.
The US company has announced that it intends to request regulatory approvals by the end of this year.
Eli Lilly shares increased by 16% following the publication of results, increasing the hopes that this effective and easy -to -administer oral treatment could enter a market currently dominated by weight loss injections. In contrast, the shares of Novo Nordisk, the producer Ozepic, decreased by 7% on Thursday and over 50% in the last year.
In his study, Lilly reported that patients with type 2 diabetes lost 7.3 kilograms (almost 8% of body weight) in 40 weeks. By comparison, patients treated with the highest dose of ozempic lose about 6% by weight. The study also shows that the weight loss process had not reached a plateau at the end of the treatment period, which suggests that weight loss could continue.
Orphorglipron reduced blood sugar levels (HBA1C) with an average of between 1.3% and 1.6%, compared to a 2.1% discount observed in Ozepic. Unlike Ozempic and other injectable drugs such as Moujaro or Zepbound, Orphoripron is a small synthetic molecule, not a peptide that mimics hormones.
Wider access by oral administration
Lilly stressed that Orphorglipron could provide broader access to effective weight loss treatments, as pills are easier to manufacture and distributed than injections. The company said that he did not notice hepatic impairment signals in the study and that the safety profile of the pill is comparable to other treatments in the GLP-1 class.
The observed side effects included nausea (13-18%of patients), diarrhea (19–26%) and vomiting (5-14%). Only 8% of patients treated with the highest dose discontinued treatment due to adverse reactions.
Lilly said she was ready to launch Orphorglipron globally without supply constraints, if the drug is approved. The company has already registered $ 550 million in stocks for the drug in its February financial records.
Analysts see in Orphorglipron a potential leader in the race for the development of effective oral drugs against obesity, in a market that could reach $ 150 billion in the coming years. Additional results for the treatment of obesity are expected later this year, and Lilly intends to submit approval for weight loss in 2024 and for diabetes in 2025 (News.ro)
